Drying apparatus



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1. G. H. KOYL. DEYING APPARATUS.

Patented Sept. 2.2, 18917.

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C. H. KOYL. DRYING APPARATUS.

No. 460,051. Patented Sept. 22, 18911.

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vDmmre APPARATUS. No. 460,051. Patented Sept. 22, 1891.

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UNrTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES HERSCHEL KOYL, OF EASTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

DRYING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 460,051, dated September 22, 1891. Application tiled May 29, 1891. SerialNo. 394,576. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES HERsoHEL KOYL, of Easton, in the State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Drying Apparatus, of Which the following is a specification.

This apparatus is designed for the efficient and economical drying of substances-such as brewers grain and malt-containing a very large percentage of moisture.

In an application tiled by me September 1, 1890,bearing Serial No. 363,712,011 which Letters Patent were issued bearing date of J une 2, 1891, I have described and claimed a drying apparatus composed of a drying stack or chamber, a series of superposed staggered endless power-driven aprons therein, ducts or inlets opening immediately beneath each apron, and means forsu pplying the same With hot dry air or gas, and in the preferred arrangement vof said instrumentalities the hot-air or gas inlets are on one side of the stack or chamber, and on the other side are outlets or exitopenings for the escape of the air or gas and a flue for leading olf the air or gas thus discharged.

My present invention is an improvement upon my aforesaid apparatus, and is directed to means Wherebyin one and the same chamber hot air or gas of differing degrees of temperature is admitted into the stack or chamber, the hottest air at the point where the aprons are located Which carry the Wettest grain, and the air of successive lower temperatures at the points Where the grain in its passage down through the stack or chamber becomes successively drier. I employ distinct and separate inlet-iiues for the several aircurrents of ditferent temperatures, each flue communicating on the one hand With its own independent source of supply and on the other hand with a series of inlet passages or openings in the chamber or stack separate from those with Which the other lines communicate and located in a diiferent portion of the stack or chamber from the latter. Air of the requisite varying degrees of heat can be supplied from one and the same furnace, and this is what I prefer, the heated products of combustion furnishing the hottest, While heated air of lower temperature can be furnished by air-supply tubes, heated either directly by the'furnace-fires or indirectly and by radiation. In this Way l can readily and easily obtain a heated air or gas supply varying from, say, 800O at the point Where the grain is Wettest to 200o Where it has the least moisture.

The nature of my improvement and the manner in Which the same is or may be carried into effect will be readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in Which- Figure lis a vertical cross-section of a twochilnney drying apparatus embodying my invention, the line of section being through one of the chimneys. Fig. 2 is a sectional ground plan of the same. Fig. 3 is a side elevation, on reduced scale, of that face ot the drying' apparatus on which the gang of furnaces are situated, the furnaces being shown here in dotted lines. Fig. 4 isa front elevation, on enlarged scale, of one of the end furnaces together with a part of the next adjoining one.

Fig. 5 is a sect-ion similar to Fig. 1 of a modification in which the furnaces are situated beneath instead of to one side of the dryingchamber.

A Vis the drying chamber or stack, surmounted by chimneys B. I prefer to make its side Walls of brick and its end walls of a series of iron or other suitable doors C, Fig. 2, which permit access to be had to its interior in order to repair or adj ust the belts.

The aprons are indicated by dotted lines at D. They are reticulated endless aprons placed one over the other and staggered so that the grain carried along by them will drop from one to the other `next below. They are power-driven and move alternately in oppo site directions, all as described in my Letters` Patent aforesaid of June 2, 1891.

The driving mechanism can be of any suitable liind. That which is indicated diagrammatically in Fig. 3 consists of sprocket-Wheel and chain driving gearing, the sprocket- Wheels being on the axles of the rolls which carry the aprons.

The wet grain is introduced at the top of the drying-chamber through a feed-hopper E, Fig. 3, and falls first upon the top apron, thence upon the next, and so on down through the series to the lowermost apron, by which it is iinally discharged from the machine. On

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one side of the drying-chamber is the exitiiue F, into which open eXit-passagesf, formed in the adjoining side of the drying-chamber throughout the length and height of the chamber. On the other side of the dryi rig-chamber are similar inlet-passages g,7t,and which open immediately below each apron, as in my aforesaid Letters Patent. These passages, however, do not open into one ycommon flue, but each set opens into its own flue, which is separate and distinct from the others. The topmost series of inlet-passages g open into a ue G. The middle set of passages hopen into a Hue H, and the lowermost series of passages t' open into a flue I. Flue G communicates with the fire-box of the furnace, and thus receives the gaseous products of combustion, which by it are led to the upper part of the apparatus and are discharged into the drying-chamber at the point where the grain is the wettest. Flue H communicates with a series of tubes H', arranged in the arch or upper part of the firechamber of the furnace and opening to the air at their outer ends. In this way I obtain a supply of air which, while not so hot as the products of combustion, will, nevertheless, during its passage through the pipes Hbe so heated that it will enter the drying-chamber at a temperature of, say, about 400", suitable for the grain in the condition it will be by the time it reaches the series of aprons opposite to the inlets h. Flue I communicates with a series of tubes I', built into the upper part of the furnace and shielded from direct contact with the products of combustion of the furnace, so that the air which passes through them will be heated to a less degree, (say to about 2000,) only sufficient to enable it to complete the drying operation commenced by the products of combustion and continued by the neXt lower heat thereto without burning or scorching the grain. In fact, the whole operation is to so modify and vary the heat of the aircurrent applied to the grain during its course through the drying-chamber thatas the grain gets drier the heat will with certainty be reduced in such manner as to permit it to exercise the proper drying action, while preventing it from scorching or burning the grain.

I have in the above description spoken of the primary heating appliance as a furnace. In fact, however, I use a series or gang of furnaces-five in number in the present instance. This, however, is merely for convenience sake7 as it would be difficult, if not impracticable, to have a single furnace of the length of the apparatus. Each furnace, however, is like the others, and theyy all supply heated air and gases in the same way, so that a description of one'will answer for all.

In each of the chimneys B of the drying apparatus I prefer to place an exhaust-fan X for the purpose of promoting draft and for quickly taking off the steam and vapors which might otherwise accumulate in the dryingchamber.

In the arrangement shown in Figs. I to 4 the furnace is placed on one side of the drying-chamber, and under this arrangement it will be noticed that the tubes I-I I for the two inner fines cross the outer flue G. This might at times be found objectionable by reason of the possible obstruction thereby of the draft in the outer ue G. This objection, however, even if really one to be considered, can be obviated, as indicated in Fig. 5, by

placing the furnace beneath the drying-cham ber.

Corresponding letters of reference in Figs. l to 5 indicate corresponding parts.

The modification will be readily understood by the drawings themselves. No detailed description of it, therefore, is needed.

Having described my improvement and the manner in which the same is or may be carried into effect, what I claim herein as new and of my own invention is- The combination of the drying-chamber, the series of superposed staggered endless powerdriven aprons therein, a series of separate and distinct inlet or supply flues communicating each with a distinct source of air or gas supply differing in temperature from that of the others, and ducts or inlets opening into the drying-chamber immediately beneath each apron and divided into corresponding series, each communicating with its own inlet-flue, whereby the heat of the air or gas admitted to the drying-chamber is graduated to conform to the condition of the gradually-dryin g grain as it travels through the dryingchamber, substantially as and for the purposes hereinbefore set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES HERSOHEL KOYL.

IVitnesses:

JosErH GUENTHER, IDA GUNTHER.

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